Low congressional approval could spell trouble for incumbents

Just 15% of Americans approve of how Congress is doing its job, according to a Gallup survey released Tuesday.

The current approval rating is actually up six points from its lowest level at 9% after the federal government shutdown last fall. The poll could signal trouble for politicians seeking re-election in the midterm elections, which are just three months away.

“The stability in this metric – it has not fluctuated much over the course of this year – suggests that the 435 House members and one-third of the Senate who face re-election could do so amid the lowest congressional approval ratings for a midterm election in modern political history,” Gallup’s Andrew Dugan wrote in his analysis of the poll.

One figure in the poll may prove worrisome for incumbents seeking another term – Americans want big changes in government.

Nearly a quarter of Americans – 22% – want to start over entirely, replacing every member of Congress, signaling growing support for fresh-faced candidates who campaign against Washington dysfunction.

The Gallup poll was conducted between July 7 and July 10 of 1,013 American adults. It’s margin of error was plus-or-minus four percentage points.